BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie County Legislature has started discussions on the new Buffalo Bills stadium, and how it could impact the environment.
Governments often require a vigorous review before shovels go in the ground. Here is New York State, it is called the Environmental Quality Review.
There are questions as to whether or not the county have a full environmental review of the new stadium.
Our partners at Investigative Post say records show Erie County intends to seek a “negative declaration.” That means there will be no hard look at how the new stadium would impact the building and surrounding community.
"There are various ranges of positive and adverse impacts from projects like this. We are trying to find out what is significant, and what would result in significant adverse impacts," said Erie County Environmental and Planning Commissioner Dan Castle. "We do not feel like there are any significant environmental impacts results based on the proposed action and you will hear on the reasoning why."
The Bills stadium planning documents show a few nods to the environment - such as LED lights and the use of low-flow toilets.
But those documents also show the new stadium will use more electricity than the current one.
The county won't say whether it will use clean energy - such as solar, wind, or hydropower.
2 On Your Side's Rob Hackford is at the meeting and will have more information on Channel 2 News beginning at 4 p.m. on Most Buffalo.